Branding, Culture, Politics, and Everything in Between

I watched My Blueberry Nights by Wong Kar Wai the other day. Had high expectations for the film, because I had just seen Ashes of Time and I thought it was outstanding in its cinematography. And in truth, in that aspect My Blueberry Nights didn’t disappoint: it was beautifully shot and lit. Wong Kar Wai really knows how to work a camera. But the movie itself left me a bit disappointed.

The problem with the movie is that it’s culturally very empty. It deals in traditional American settings: the open road, the corner diner and its locals, Las Vegas gamblers etc. But the thing is, the director treats these themes with an outsider’s eye, kind of like a tourist showing his holiday photos. I feel that the lack of gripping storytelling was missing, and I think it was because the storyteller had nothing new to say to me about what I was seeing. And I guess it bled over to the acting, because none of the actors really made an impression with me. It felt like an ode to Americana, but from a person who was not too familiar with the subject.

A much weaker American director would have been able to squeeze more cultural relevance out of this movie, probably with ease. But a weaker American director wouldn’t have been able to provide us with such delightful images.

An interesting predicament, I though.